Record Number of International Students in Japan in 2024 Surpasses Pre-Pandemic Levels

Tokyo: Japan welcomed a record number of international students in 2024, exceeding pre-pandemic figures and marking a 20.6 per cent increase over the previous year, according to the Japan Student Services Organisation (JASSO). As of May 1, 2024, there were 336,708 international students in the country, compared to 279,274 in 2023. This also surpassed the previous peak of 312,214 students recorded in 2019 by 7.8 per cent.

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The growth was largely driven by strong demand from Asian markets, which accounted for 92.5 per cent of all international students in Japan. China remained the largest source market, sending 123,485 students (+6.9 per cent), followed by Nepal, which saw a sharp 71.1 per cent rise to 64,816 students. Vietnam ranked third with 40,323 students (+11 per cent), while Myanmar more than doubled its numbers to 16,596 students (+113 per cent). South Korea was the only top ten source to decline, with numbers falling 2.5 per cent to 14,579.

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Other fast-growing markets included Sri Lanka (+79.9 per cent to 12,269), Bangladesh (+42.6 per cent to 7,597), Mongolia (+11 per cent to 4,085), and Pakistan (+49.6 per cent to 1,340).

Regional Distribution

The Kanto region, home to Tokyo, hosted the largest number of international students at 172,201, followed by the Kinki region (Osaka and Kyoto) with 73,554, and Kyushu with 33,171.

Institution Type

Japanese language institutes recorded the fastest growth, with enrolments rising 18.2 per cent year-on-year to 107,241 students. Undergraduate enrolments reached 87,421 (+8.8 per cent), graduate students totalled 58,215 (+4.8 per cent), and professional training colleges saw a substantial 64.9 per cent increase to 76,402 students. The recent expansion of work rights for vocational graduates is expected to further drive enrolment in this category.

Language Schools and Higher Education

At Japanese language institutes, China was the top source with 28,850 students (+4.1 per cent), followed by Nepal (27,613, +17.8 per cent), Vietnam (17,690, +26.5 per cent), Myanmar (9,600, +130 per cent), and Sri Lanka (6,409, +49.5 per cent).

Among universities, Waseda University had the most international students at 5,562, followed by the University of Tokyo (4,793), Ritsumeikan University (3,258), Kyoto University (2,791), and Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (2,776).

Study Fields

Social science was the most popular field among international students at Japanese universities in 2024, with 77,045 students (+33.8 per cent). Humanities followed with 51,264 students (+17.6 per cent), and engineering with 41,658 students (+18.6 per cent).

Japan’s government aims to host 400,000 international students by 2033, a target first announced by then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in 2023.